tusok
tusók with stress marks
the act of piercing or pricking; injection
Usage Note
Tusok describes a sharp pricking or poking action — with a needle, pin, skewer, or similar pointed tool. Unlike turok (which leans medical), tusok is broader and includes street food skewers (isaw on a tusok), acupuncture, and mischievous poking. It is a high-frequency everyday word.
Examples
" Masakit ang tusok ng karayom. "
Natural Translation
The prick of the needle hurts.
Literal Translation
Painful the prick of needle.
" Naramdaman niya ang tusok ng tinik. "
Natural Translation
He/She felt the pierce of the thorn.
Literal Translation
Felt he/she the pierce of thorn.
" Hindi ko namalayan ang tusok ng iniksiyon dahil kinakausap ako ng nars habang ito ay ginagawa. "
Natural Translation
I didn't notice the prick of the injection because the nurse was talking to me while it was being done.
Literal Translation
Not I noticed the prick of injection because talking-to me the nurse while it is being-done.
Take Tagalog with you
The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workActor Focus Verbs
Object Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Magkano: How to Ask "How Much" in Tagalog
Magkano means how much in Tagalog. Learn to ask a price, tell it apart from ilan and gaano, sound polite with po, and haggle at the palengke.
Mano Po and Filipino Etiquette: A Visitor's Guide
Mano po presses an elder's hand to your forehead as a blessing. Learn who to mano, how to lip-point, and the etiquette that wins over a Filipino family.
Tagalog Greetings: How to Say Hello, Goodbye & Po/Opo
Master Tagalog greetings with pronunciation: kumusta, magandang umaga, po and opo polite forms, time-of-day phrases, and the mano po tradition.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Tagalog?
Survival Tagalog takes ~3-4 weeks and comfortable conversation 6-12 months. FSI's 1,100 hours is the professional bar, not the talking-to-family bar.